Back to EveryPatent.com
United States Patent | 5,319,669 |
Cox ,   et al. | June 7, 1994 |
An apparatus for processing various hazardous waste materials by melting in a vessel for subsequent solidification is disclosed which includes a seal for the cover thereof. Melter includes a high-speed mixing impeller powered by a drive shaft which extends through an opening in the cover. The vessel is electrically heated by discharge of electrical energy through the melt contained in the vessel. In one embodiment the impeller and shaft are included in the electrical heating circuit. A shaft seal engages the shaft at a point spaced from the cover. An axially extensible seal seals a space bounded by the shaft seal and the opening in the cover. Purge gas is supplied to the sealed space to provide positive gas flow from the sealed space into the vessel. A cold wall transport duct for off-gas porting is disclosed. A bottom drain structure including a sleeve and plug is also disclosed. The output of the melter may be subsequently heated in a holding tank to refine the output.
Inventors: | Cox; Stephen F. (Perrysburg, OH); Richards; Ray S. (Sylvania, OH) |
Assignee: | Stir-Melter, Inc. (Perrysburg, OH) |
Appl. No.: | 823991 |
Filed: | January 22, 1992 |
Current U.S. Class: | 373/29; 65/134.6; 65/135.3; 373/27; 373/30; 373/34; 373/35; 373/79; 373/85; 373/116 |
Intern'l Class: | C03B 005/027 |
Field of Search: | 373/27-30,33,35,79,81,85,110,111,112,115,116 210/695,710,719 423/244 65/27,134,335 252/629 159/7,25.1 422/159 |
1956171 | Apr., 1934 | Hitner | 373/35. |
2877280 | Mar., 1959 | Eden | 373/29. |
3020324 | Feb., 1962 | Curtis | 373/32. |
3350187 | Oct., 1967 | Brichard et al. | 65/134. |
3358066 | Dec., 1967 | Tiede et al. | 373/28. |
3585268 | Jun., 1971 | Monks et al. | 65/134. |
3754886 | Aug., 1973 | Richards et al. | 65/134. |
3767090 | Oct., 1973 | Sundberg et al. | 222/383. |
3819350 | Jun., 1974 | Pellett et al. | 65/134. |
3850606 | Nov., 1974 | Rough | 373/29. |
3988138 | Oct., 1976 | Rough | 373/36. |
4032704 | Jun., 1977 | Stenkvist | 373/85. |
4139360 | Feb., 1979 | Piper | 252/645. |
4299611 | Nov., 1981 | Penberthy | 65/27. |
4366571 | Dec., 1982 | Palmquist | 373/30. |
4424149 | Jan., 1984 | Bege et al. | 252/629. |
4528011 | Jul., 1985 | Macedo et al. | 65/30. |
4627069 | Dec., 1986 | Harvey et al. | 373/29. |
4632689 | Dec., 1986 | De Willigen et al. | 65/78. |
4632690 | Dec., 1986 | Colwell, Jr. et al. | 65/134. |
4635570 | Jan., 1987 | Ewest et al. | 110/237. |
4710266 | Dec., 1987 | Hayashi et al. | 159/7. |
4725383 | Feb., 1988 | Hayashi et al. | 252/629. |
4735400 | Apr., 1988 | Tate et al. | 373/95. |
4782497 | Nov., 1988 | Sasaki et al. | 373/29. |
4793933 | Dec., 1988 | Rostoker et al. | 210/710. |
4797232 | Jan., 1989 | Aubert | 252/629. |
4847008 | Jul., 1989 | Boatner et al. | 252/629. |
4895678 | Jan., 1990 | Ohtsulen et al. | 373/29. |
4906409 | Mar., 1990 | Leister | 252/629. |
4943395 | Jul., 1990 | Sasaki et al. | 252/629. |
5120342 | Jun., 1992 | Richards | 65/178. |
C. T. Randall et al., "Off-Gas System For The Savannah River Plant Defense Waste Processing Facility", presentation at the ANS Spectrum 1986 International Meeting. C. G. Sombret, "Melters and Furnace Equipment Used For Radioactive Waste Conditioning" Proceeding of the 1987 Int'l Waste Management Conference, the ASME, pp. 259-263, 1987. R. S. Richards, "Rapid Melting and Refining System", Ceramic Bulletin, vol. 67, No. 11 (1988), pp. 1806-1809. U. S. Patent Application Serial No. 510,556, filed Apr. 18, 1990, "Method and Apparatus For Waste Vitrification". R. S. Richards et al., "Small High-Speed Glass Melter For Waste Vitrification", ACS Dallas, Apr. 23, 1990. D. F. Bickford et al., "Application of High Level Waste-Glass Technology to the Volume Reduction and Immobilization of Tru, Low-Level and Mixed Wastes", 1991. R. S. Richards et al., "Stir-Melter.RTM. Vitrification of Simulated Radioactive Waste, Fiber Glass Scrap, and Municipal Waste Combustor Fly Ash", 1991. WV-2 Waste Vitrifier System, Glasstech, Inc., Stir-Melter.RTM. System brochure, 1991. WV-9 Waste Vitrifier System, Glasstech, Inc., Stir-Melter.RTM. System brochure, 1991. |